Yes CLOSE TO THE EDGE - Mobile Fidelity (MFSL) Vinyl LP - Near Mint Vinyl

$

143

Yes CLOSE TO THE EDGE - MFSL 1LP limited edition rarity, arguably one of THE best sounding versions of this prog-rock masterpiece, and the vinyl is NEAR MINT MINUS. One of my all-time faves of ANY genre, this version really nails both the bottom end weight of Chris Spire's bass as well as that unique snarl. And the 12 string guitar and vocals on The Preacher The Teacher are IN THE ROOM realistic. Plus all those gorgeous vocal harmonies...I could go on and on. Now's your chance to get this out of print collectible at a fair market price!
IMPORTANT: I play-graded this record (listened to the entire album) and the LP grades at NM Minus. Please see below for my detailed listening notes.
The cover is in overall EX condition, with a bit of wear in areas; something you'd expect from a +40 year old album. The most significant issues are the remnants of a sticker over the "O" in Original Master Recording (please see Picture 1 and Picture 9), and the funky creasing in the middle of the gatefold cover (Pictures 7 and 8).
Some of the corners are imperfect, particularly the rear lower left corner (Picture 15). Pictures 9 through 16 show closeups of each corner of the LP from: Front Top Left to Top Right to Bottom Left to Bottom Right, and then in the same order for the rear.
PLAY-GRADED LISTENING NOTES:
isn = insignificant surface noise nm = dead quiet ANYTHING IN ALL CAPS = A noise event significant enough to merit comment

SIDE 1 Track 1 - isn for first 8 seconds, isn at 0:23, tiny click at 8:08, isn around 9:00, isn from around 9:12 to 9:33, tiny click at 10:18, isn around 18:35 at the very end
Side 2  Track 1 - isn at at 0:30, isn at 0:50, tiny click at 4:00, isn at 6:00, isn at 6:06, isn at 9:25, a tiny click plus isn at the very end of the track
Track 2 - nm
SUMMARY: I grade this LP NM Minus. There are no significant noise events (loud ticks or pops),  only four small clicks, and a few spots of insignificant surface noise. BTW, those clicks are why I characterize this as NM Minus, because the vinyl is DEAD QUIET throughout except for what's been noted above; we could only wish that ALL LPs were pressed at this level of quality!

ABOUT USED RECORDS I SELL ON EBAY: I will be selling many high value used records over the coming months (or years!). I've been lucky enough to be able to use very high-end cartridges on both my mono and stereo turntables. The cartridges are cleaned before each side is played, and I'm currently using the DS-Audio ST-50 cartridge cleaner. 
I clean ALL records, every time, before the platter hits the turntable. I've been doing so for the past 20 years or more, and I am currently fortunate enough to own THE best record cleaning machine in the world: KLAudio's KD-CLN LP200T (Acoustic Sounds uses these machines to clean THEIR used records). Every used record I sell on Ebay is cleaned before I grade the album, and then cleaned AFTER grading so that the buyer receives the LP in the best possible condition. PICTURE 17 SHOWS THE LP AT THE END OF A CLEANING CYCLE. WHILE THE ALBUM COMES WITH MOFI'S ORIGINAL RICE SLEEVE, I HAVE PLACED THE JUST-CLEANED RECORD INTO A NEW MOFI SLEEVE. 
In order to sell used records efficiently, I have two methods of grading used LPs:
Play-Graded - For my rarest records, I will listen to the entire LP and make track by track notes of any possible issues.
Sample-Graded - Other used records will be sampled at the beginning and end of each track, but I cannot guarantee the LP won't exhibit some random noise or pressing flaw that goes undetected. However, I find this approach is reasonably accurate, and considerably more so than visual grading, which I find can be quite deceptive (at least, I've never had any luck at it when buying used LPs). 

ABOUT SHIPPING AND HANDLING: Please note there is a $3 fee included in Ebay's estimate of Media Mail shipping costs. I believe the best way to ship an LP includes a 13"x14"x3" "pizza" style box, 12"x12" cardboard flats, outer shopping bag, and bubble wrap. The shipping boxes alone cost me over $3 each, and the average total cost of shipping materials is around $4.72, so this is NOT a money-maker for me. However, it does ensure, consistently, that these high value LPs arrive safely. Please check my feedback and I think you'll see that buyers appreciate the care with which these precious artifacts are handled.

COMBINED SHIPPING: I am more than happy to combine shipping. Ebay buyers pay the actual postage costs. If a single LP is purchased, the buyer pays actual postage and $3 for shipping materials. If two LPs are purchased, the buyer pays actual postage and $3 for shipping materials. If three or more LPs are purchased, the buyer pays actual postage and $0 for shipping materials (I will absorb the cost of materials). As the final amount can only be calculated after auctions have ended, I will issue the appropriate refund on the day the LPs are shipped. 

About Me: I'm a long time Ebay buyer intent on selling a significant portion of my LP collection over the next year or two (or three!). I believe in the auction process, so I'm NOT going to list records at absurdly high prices, and I look forward to getting rare, out of print records into the hands of music lovers, record collectors and audiophiles (I consider myself all of the above). All LPS stored in a smoke-free, climate controlled environment. 

Please check my feedback and BID WITH CONFIDENCE. Also, please take a look at other items I'm listing (new items will be listed on Sunday and Wednesday nights), and good luck! 

PayPal Payments Only. Payment required within 3 days after the end of auction. All records will ship USPS Media Mail.